As a teenager, Italianate beauty Carla Gugino began a career as a fashion model but quickly became disillusion. At the suggestion of her aunt, TV spokesmodel Carol Merrill (of “Let’s Make a Deal” fame), she took an acting class with former soap star Gene Bua and became hooked, leading to her first screen role in the Shelley Long vehicle “Troop Beverly Hills” in 1989.
Born in Florida, Gugino relocated to California with her mother following her parents’ divorce and experienced an unorthodox, bohemian upbringing that encompassed frequent moves as well as a stint living in a teepee in Northern California. Despite her sojourn in the modeling world and her acting classes, Gugino was able to maintain her grades and was named valedictorian of her high school class. Rather than attend college, though, she opted to concentrate on her burgeoning acting career. In fall 1989, she joined the cast of the long-running primetime serial “Falcon Crest” (CBS), but the show was in its last throes and while the role gave her some stature, it did little to move her to the ranks of stardom. Gugino was next tapped to play the youthful incarnation of the title character (essayed by Winona Ryder) in “Welcome Home, Roxy Carmichael” (1990). Following supporting turns in the 1992 HBO abortion-themed drama “A Private Affair” and the 1993 big screen family drama “This Boy’s Life”, the actress landed her first film lead as Pauley Shore’s bride—a farmer’s daughter—in the comedy “Son-in-Law” (1993).
